On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy was endeavoring to do something never before attempted. Massing the air groups of six fleet carriers into a single formation with over 400 aircraft to attack the US Pacific Fleet in its home port was revolutionary and changed the face of naval warfare forever.
Pearl Harbor is the most important event of the Pacific War, and one of the key moments of World War II. However, despite its widespread fame, parts of the operation remain poorly understood, while others are overwhelmed by the mythology surrounding the Day of Infamy.
In this new study, respected Pacific War naval historian Mark E. Stille traces the road to war and the Japanese attack itself. He examines the role of the man behind the operation, Japanese Admiral Yamamoto, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the plan. The American defensive preparations are also carefully reviewed. The heart of the book is a comprehensive narrative of Pearl Harbor along with an appreciation of its results placed in proper perspective.
Pearl Harbor explores and dismantles the reputation of Yamamoto as a military genius, as well as the myth that the operation was brilliantly planned. Long regarded as a brilliant strike, this book describes how the attack was actually a tactical disappointment, an operational failure and a strategic disaster.